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MBUG November General MeetingWEDNESDAY November 12, 2014 – 7:00 to 9:00 pmHilltop Park Center871 Jessie Street, MontereyFREE to MBUG Members and the General Public

This month we welcome back Microsoft representative Michael Hanes to present recent developments from Microsoft at the November 12 General Meeting.

Michael will demonstrate new features in Windows 8.1 and discuss new product announcements like OneDrive for Office 365 and the new Microsoft Health Band and Wireless Display Adapter. He will also highlight the Surface Pro 3 and the latest Windows tablet push by Microsoft Partners. If time permits, he will also show the Microsoft Lumia Phone.

To better maximize our members’ time, Michael has offered to accept your questions beforehand, so he can be prepared to answer them and hopefully answer MORE of our questions. To submit questions before the meeting, please email him directly at mchanes@live.com.

Michael Hanes has worked for six start-ups, as well as Apple, Hewlett- Packard, and now Microsoft for the last four years. Since the introduction of Macintosh in 1984, he has been instrumental in launching “way of life technologies” like Desktop Publishing, Digital Photography and Printing, and Brand/Marketing/Talent Solutions. His main passion is to “inform, persuade and delight”—empowering individuals to see the possibilities that technology can offer. Having survived 30 years in this business, he’s come to agree with Heraclitus, that “the only thing that is constant is change!” At the November meeting, Michael will inform us about more that has changed!

MBUG April General MeetingWEDNESDAY April 9, 2014 – 7:00 to 9:00 pmHilltop Park Center871 Jessie Street, MontereyFREE to MBUG Members and the General Public

April brings us Chris Czomba of Computer Corner. He will give us an overview of where hardware has been and where it is going. Ever wondered whether you should pay more to get a computer with a brain (CPU) made by Intel (i3, i5, i7 third generation) or whether you should pick up a bargain-priced dual core or a unit with an AMD chip?

Chris will get as technical as we want—explaining “hyperthreading” and Core 2 Duo vs. Core 2 Quad machines and what we might consider when we are deciding on the “best-for-the-money” choice.

He will talk about the DRAMATIC changes in disk technology that make solid state device (SSD) drives the wave of the future. Chris will describe the attendant shift to larger and larger hard drives that has occurred as our storage needs have grown due to things like movies and high resolution pictures. Remember the days of 5¼” floppy disks giving way to the 3½” “stiffy,” then to CD’s and DVD’s, and now to thumb drives? He will also review the differences in RAM and the amount of RAM being offered with new portables. Is 2GB enough?

Monitor sizes and terminology will get an overview. High Definition? Diagonal size? Wide screen vs. square-ish. Number of pixels—is 1024 x 768 the standard now? What should we care about when buying a monitor? Have you bought a portable and thought you could use it to hook up a bigger monitor when you were at home only to find that the VGA output is now gone?

Chris will tell us what is worth the money for whatever our needs are. Bring your questions and join us April 9. Questions in advance? Write chris@computercorner.us or stop by 535 Foam Street (across from the Hodges rental yard) in Monterey. Chris has been supporting computer hardware for over twenty years, including seven years in business for himself as Computer Corner.

MBUG February General Meeting WEDNESDAY February 12, 2014 – 7:00 to 9:00 pm Hilltop Park Center 871 Jessie Street, Monterey FREE to MBUG Members and the General Public

We welcome back Microsoft representative Michael Hanes as our speaker at the February 12 General Meeting. Unlike our January speaker, who loaded the free program called Classic Start in order to make Windows 8.1 look as much like Windows 7 as possible, Michael will make the case for using Windows 8.1 as it comes from Microsoft, that is, working with the new features in 8.1 to achieve parity with the familiar Windows 7.

Sure, he works for Microsoft, who pays him to be loyal, but he makes the case quite convincingly about the advantages the new functionality has to offer. He will explain why everyone should upgrade to Windows 8.1. Expect him to answer questions about the “charms” that appear on the right when you hover the cursor at upper right. Ask him why getting a Microsoft Account is a good idea. And get him to explain why the START button is gone and will not be back.

Michael will be joined by Justin Palmer, tech supervisor in the Easy Tech Support department at Staples. Demo equipment running Windows 8 and 8.1 will include a Surface Tablet as well as MBUG’s Toshiba running 8.1 and Classic Start.

Michael Hanes has worked for six start-ups, as well as Apple, Hewlett- Packard, and now Microsoft for the last four years. Since the introduction of Macintosh in 1984, he has been instrumental in launching “way of life technologies” like Desktop Publishing, Digital Photography and Printing, and Brand/Marketing/Talent Solutions. His main passion is to “inform, persuade and delight”—empowering individuals to see the possibilities that technology can offer. Having survived 30 years in this business, he’s come to agree with Heraclitus, that “the only thing that is constant is change!” Michael’s hope is that embracing the new Windows is not that difficult, once you understand what is possible.

MBUG January General Meeting WEDNESDAY January 8, 20147:00 to 9:00 pm Hilltop Park Center 871 Jessie Street, Monterey FREE to MBUG Members and the General Public

The new year brings us a new perspective on Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows 8.1, officially released October 18, 2013. At the January general meeting, Star Reierson of Computer Power will take us through the basics of Windows 8.1 with its “charms” and point-to-the-corner shortcuts and touch screen orientation.

Using MBUG’s latest hardware purchase, a Toshiba laptop, Star will use a mouse to navigate through the Metro screen and show us how to customize the icons so that we can see what we want, where we want it. Through exploring the PC SETTINGS screens, Star will show us how to change the Microsoft account sign-in, which requires a minimum 8-character, upper and lower case mixture of numbers and letters, to a 4-digit PIN. Much more manageable! Learn how to TOTALLY turn-off the machine instead of letting it go into a deep, DEEP hibernation, which is what happens when you tell it to “shut down.”

Star will also demonstrate how to do away with the Metro screen and touch screen altogether and boot into a Windows 7 look-alike screen. Using Classic Start, which is a FREE program, you will get the advantage of the more secure Windows 8.1 with the more familiar Windows 7 menu- driven windows. Find out how to go back and forth between the Metro apps screen and the Window 7 look-alike screen. Learn how to boot into the Classic Start—Windows 7—look-alike screen without having to pass through the Metro screen first. Think that you’ll just go to the Control Panel or the PC Settings panel to accomplish this streamlining? Think again!

This is a meeting that will smooth your transition from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1. Don’t miss the chance to get your questions answered! Questions in advance, please contact star@computerpowerstar.com.